Pressure-reducing valve.



No. 788,240. V v PATBNTED APR. 25, 1905.

' E. M. BOURNONVILLE.

PRESSURE RRDUCING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2. 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented April 25, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

PRESSURE-REDUCING VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,240, dated April25, 1905.

Application filed November 2,1904. Serial No. 231,058.

T0 @ZZ wiz/0m t may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE M. BoURNoN- VILLE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing' at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State ofNew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPressure-Reducing Valves, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inpressure-reducing valves for gas or air.

Among the main objects of my invention are simplicity of construction,durability, and effectiveness, which objects I attain by the use of theimprovements referred to in the following specification and illustratedin the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view showing' the interiorconstruction. Fig.`

2. is a plan View, the cover, diaphragm, and diaphmgm-reinforce'beingremoved. F ig. 3 is a relatively enlarged detail view partly in section.

1 is a case in which the operating mechanism is located and throughwhich the gas or air passes from the inlet or supply pipe 2 to theoutlet or service pipe' 3.

et isa valve-seat adjacent to the inner end of the inlet-pipe 2.

5 is a valve adapted to the seat i and arranged to open or close thepassage therethrough.

6 is a bell-crank lever pivotally mounted at 7 and provided to operatethe valve.

In the short arm of the lever 6 is a suitable socket arranged to supportthe valve This valve partakcs of a free lateral movement, as will beseen by reference to Fig. 3, so that it is self-centering in the seat 4.The substantial advantages of this self-centering valve will be apparentfrom the fact that were the valve immovably connected to theoperatinglever it would fail in the course of time to operate properlyby reason of wear at the pivotal support 7. In the particular form shownthe valve has a cone-shaped forward end, and

' the valve-seat is suitably tapered to receive said end.

viously the particular form of the valve is immaterial to the broadscope of the invention, although the cone or needle form is preferredfor reasons hereinafter stated.

8 is an adjusting-screw, which may be carried by the valve support orlever 6. This adjusting-screw receives the thrust of the valve at itsrear end and forces it properly up to its work as the lever 6 isoperated. To the long arm of the lever is connected a link 9, which inits preferred form has a universal bearing in a nut 10 at or near itsupper end. The nut 10 receives the cap 11. Clamped between the cap 11and the nut'l() is adiaphragm 12, the same being impervious to the gasor air which is to be passed through the apparatus underneath saiddiaphragm. The diaphragm 12 is preferably held in position by means ofthe annular flange 13 of the cover 14.

15 15 are bracketswhich may be provided on any part of the apparatus-forexample, on the cover 11i-and by means of which the apparatus may besecured in placewherever desired.

16 16 are vent-holes in the cover 14,where by atmospheric pressure maybe maintained in the space between the diaphragm 12 and cover 1li.

11a is a diaphragm-reinforce and protectingplate. This plate 11 ispreferably of disklike form, is carried upon the cap 11, and covers asmuch as desired of the central portion of the diaphragm, leaving' an unreinforced border between its edge and the holdingiiange 13 ofsuflicient area to insure freedom of action and yet quick response tovariations in pressure in case'l.

17 is a spring connected to the short arm of the bell-crank lever 6-forexample, just above the valve-support. This spring is connected at itsotherend to a stem 18, which may be adjusted to and fro in any suitablemanner, whereby the spring pull upon the lever may be modified at willto Vsatisfy the demands. The tendency of the spring 17 is to swing thevalve-operating lever 6 in a direction to open the valve. Any number ofsprings 17 may be employed. In the drawings two are shown.

I have sho'wn the preferred form of my invention; but it is obvious thatit may partake of various modifications in design and ar- IOO rangementwithout departure from the spirit and scope thereof. While of course thelink 9 may be rigidly connected with the nut l0, the universalconnection is preferred, since it prevents any cramping or bindingbetween the parts and insures a free straight-line draft of the linkupon the lever 6.

In operation gas or air at high pressure may flow into the space withinthe case 1 and be delivered at low pressure through the outlet-pipe 3.The pull of the spring 17 determines the pressure required to'elevatethe diaphragm 12. As soon as this pressure is attained within the case 1and below the diaphragm the latter is elevated, thereby closing thevalve 5. When the pressure below the diaphragm is reduced by the use ofgas or air at the service end of the apparatus, the diaphragm lowers,allowing the valve 5 to open, whereupon the designed pressure isreestablished and the valve closed. The operation of thevalve-controlling apparatus is so delicately responsive that variationof pressure within the case 1 is practically imperceptible.

One advantage of the preferred form of the construction of the valve 5is that both ends are loosely yet effectively supported whether saidvalve be in the open or closed position. As shown in the drawings, therear end of the valve is supported in a socket of the lever 6,

and the forward end is supported in the tapered seat 4 at all times.This construction also admits or' the ready removal or substitution ofthe valves. The material employed in the construction of the severalparts is of course immaterial so long as they are properly adapted tothe intended purpose.

In speaking of the valve as a laterallymovable77 valve I mean that thevalve or the operative end of the same is laterally movable relativelyto its path of movement toward and from the seat.

What I claim is- 1. In a pressure-reducing apparatus, a ease, adiaphragm forming one of the walls of said case, an inlet and an outlet,a valve-seat at said inlet, a valve coperating with said seat, avalve-support said valve being laterally movable in said support, aconnection between said diaphragm and said valve-support whereby thelatter may be moved in a direction to close the valve.

2. In a pressure-reducing apparatus, a case, a diaphragm forming one ofthe walls of said case, an inlet and an outlet, a valve-seat at saidinlet, a valve coperating with said seat, a valve-support said valvebeing laterally movable in said support, a connection between saiddiaphragm and said valve-support whereby the latter may be moved in adirection to close the valve, and a spring for reversing said movement.'

3. In a pressure-reducing apparatus, a ease, a diaphragm forming one ofthe walls of said case, an inlet and an outlet, a valve-seat at saidinlet, a valve coperating with said seat, a valve-support said valvebeing laterally movable in said support, a connection between saiddiaphragm and said valve-support whereby the latter may be moved in adirection to close the valve, and a spring for reversing said movement,said spring being connected to said support and arranged to move thesame and said diaphragm simultaneously with opening said valve.

4. In a pressure-reducing apparatus, a case, a diaphragm forming one ofthe walls of said case, an inlet and an outlet, a valve-seat at saidinlet, a valve coperating with said seat, a valvesupport said valvebeing laterally movable in said support, a connection between saiddiaphragm and said valve-support whereby the latter may be moved in adirection to close the valve, a spring for opening said valve, and meansfor varying the pull of said spring.

5. In a pressure-regulator, a case, a gas inlet and outlet, an enlargedtapered valve-seat for said inlet said seat being rounded at its innerend, a tapered valve having a rounded end the forward part of said valvebeing loosely supported by said seat when open, an enlarged socketloosely supporting the rear end of said Valve, and a diaphragm connectedto said socket whereby the valve may be positively seated when saiddiaphragm moves in one direction.

6. In a pressure-regulator, a ease, a gas inlet and outlet, an enlargedtapered valve-seat at the end of said inlet, the end of said seat beingrounded, a tapered valve having a rounded end, the forward part of saidvalve bebeing supported in said seat, and a socket loosely supportingthe rear end of said valve, a diaphragm and connecting means betweensaid diaphragm and said socket whereby the latter maybe positively movedto seat said valve.

Signed at New York city, New York, this 1st day of November, 1904.

EUGENE M; BOURNONVILLE.

Vitnesses:

H. M. SKINNER, L. VREELAND.

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